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FED (Original) ( FED NKVD, FED-S, FED-1)
The original FED is a 35mm film Rangefinder camera, manufactured by F.E. Dzerzhinsky factory, in Kharkov, Ukraine, former USSR. The original FED is also known as FED NKVD and FED-1. All original FED cameras produced between 1934-55, quantity 626847. Brief FED History The FED camera was introduced in 1934 by factory of the Dzerzhinsky Commune in Kharkov, Ukraine, former USSR. FED are the initials for F.E. Dzerzhinsky, the founder of the NKVD, in honor of him the camera was named. The NKVD was the People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs (= Народный комиссариат внутренних дел Narodnyy komissariat vnutrennikh del, НКВД (=NKVD ), a public and secret police organization of the Soviet Union later known as the KGB. The factory was originally an orphanage workforce was based on youths living and working together in a commune. After the groundbreaking introduction of the Leica II in 1932, Soviet leaders stopped the import of photographic equipment and set the FED factory to its task of creating a Leica of their own. Only 18 months later, in 1934, the FED factory began churning out its first clone of the Leica II rangefinder camera. Since then, they have produced millions of cameras, some good and some not so good. The early FED is a true copy of the Leica II, itself only introduced less than two years earlier. The FED-1 was continuously improved and produced in great quantities until 1955 at which point series production of the FED-2 commenced The variations of the engravings on the FED camera tops make it worth a special mention, reflecting the changes within the Soviet Union. As with many early Leica copies, the fact that Leitz utilized non-metric production equipment escaped most of the early camera manufactures, the consequence being slightly finer thread pitch of the M39 mount, of which the FED is an early example. The flange to film plane distance, which Leitz standardised in 1932, also differs slightly on the early FED cameras. Each lens had to be matched to the camera for correct focusing. Later production FED cameras from 1950s were given lens mounts with the correct LTM pitch, and most can be found with the proper lens register as well. From early on, a few oddities exist as well, including a counterfeit Leica II, discovered by the German army when occupying the Kharkov factory in 1941. However, the finish alone reveals the forgery. Considerable effort has been put in to revealing the story about this fascinating camera, and it is well documented and covered in articles and books. Special mention of Oscar Fricke, whose findings were published already in 1979, should suffice here. There are 14 types and many sub-types of the original FED cameras Typing and other data are as to Alexander Komarov's website Fotoua http://www.fotoua.com/1cameraAlltip.php?st=7&rd=4&usl=4&usl1=fed&seek1=&seek2= Types and engravings on the top plates Types 2-8 are also known FED NKVD and Types 1, 9-14 are also known as FED-1. FED type 1 *1934-35 *with 3 sub-types *FED Labor commune in the name of F.E.Dzerjinski Kharkov * FED Trudkommuna IM F.E.Dzerjinski Kharkov = ФЭД Трудкомуа им. Ф.Э. Дзержинского Харъков *IM. is the abbreviation of "imeni", means "in the name of" FED types 2 to 7 *1935-40 *with 8 sub-types *FED Labor commune NKVD-UkSSR in the name of F.E.Dzerjinski Kharkov *FED Trudkommuna NKVD-UkSSR IM F.E.Dzerjinski Kharkov = ФЭД Трудкомуа НКВД -УCCP им. Ф.Э. Дзержинского Харъков FED type 8 *1940-41 *the last type of the NKVD engraved cameras *FED NKVD-USSR Kharkov Combinat IM. F.E. Dzerjinsky *ФЭД НКВД - CССР Харьковский комбинат им. Ф.Э. Дзержинского FED type 9 *Also known as FED Berdsk (made in Berdsk in time of WWII) *1942-47 *FED Factory in the name of F.E.Dzerjinski city of Kharkov FED type 10 *1947-48 *also known FED NKAP Red Flag, a special edition NKAP -People's Commissariat of Aircraft Industry *FED NKAP-USSR Order of labor red flag Factory in the name of F. E. Dzerzjinsky FED type 11 *with 2 sub-types *1949-53 *FED Factory in the name of F.E.Dzerjinski * FED Zavod IM. F.E. Dzerjinsky = ФЭД завод им. Ф.Э. Дзержинского FED type 12 *FED anniversary 1654-1954. Commemorate 300 years of the union between Russia and Ukraine. FED types 13-14 *1953-55 * The engraving is only the FED logo (ФЭД) FED-S *1938-1941 *FED Trudkommuna NKVD-UkSSR IM F.E.Dzerjinski Kharkov = ФЭД Трудкомуа НКВД -УCCP им. Ф.Э. Дзержинского Харъков *Same appearance as a FED NKVD except: *Top speed of 1/1000 *FED 5cm f/2 lens *This model of FED-1 was designated "S" by the factory and possibly 2,000 or fewer units of this model were made. Many other accessories were made for the FED-1 during these years, including the right angle viewer, wide angle lens, FED light meter, a panoramic head, and a self-timer with mirror. *This was an attempt to make a FED "system camera" similar to what the Leica had evolved intoData acoording to USSR Photo Notes and references Links *[http://www.fedka.com/Useful_info/Commune_by_Fricke/commune_A.htm in Fedka by Oscar Fricke *in SovietCams *in Fotoua website by Alexander Komarov *FED 1 at USSR Photo *Fed 1 NKVD at Sylvain Halgand's www.collection-appareils.fr Category: 39mm screw mount Category: Former USSR Category: FED Fed Nkvd